Which is more amazing—that John Daly is still alive or that he still
has the game to win a major? During his schizophrenic career, John has
battled the bottle, ex-wives and his own demons, all with equal desperation.
Yet through good times and bad, he has managed to build on his folk-hero
status with fans who are fascinated by his “grip it and rip it”
style. In the end, the most amazing thing about John is that his best
golf might be ahead of him. This is his story…

GROWING
UP

John Patrick Daly
Jr. was born on April 28, 1966, in Carmichael, California. His parents,
Jim and Lou, had already welcomed two children into the world, a girl
named Leslie and a boy named Jamie. John was their third and final kid.

Jim, an engineer who
built and repaired nuclear power plants, spent a lot of time away because
of his job. When he was home, his hours were scattershot. Jim sometimes
worked all night, then slept all morning and afternoon. For John, Leslie
and Jamie, getting quality time with their dad wasn’t easy. The
Daly children turned outward and did their own thing.

John’s outlet
was golf. He discovered the sport as a four-year-old after his father
gave him two cut-off clubs. The youngster loved the sport.

To stay close to Jim,
the Daly family was often forced to move. Their first change of address—to
Dardanelle, Arkansas—came after John’s fifth birthday. That’s
where—on a local nine-hole layout—his fascination with golf
grew to a passion.

John never had many
friends as a kid, so golf proved the perfect diversion for him. He could
play 18 holes by himself, or hook up with a group to fill out a foursome.
His playing companions were just as often adults as they were kids his
own age.

John was a perfectionist.
His golf hero was Jack Nicklaus, and he studied his idol for tips to improve
his own game. For John, hitting a clean, crisp shot on every swing was
the ultimate challenge.

In many ways, John’s
game mimicked that of Nicklaus, except for the length of his backswing.
From an early age, John took the club so far past parallel that he looked
like a contortionist. He would then unload on the ball with all the force
he could muster. This produced soaring drives and iron shots that never
seemed to come down.

As
a 12-year-old, John was hitting the ball farther the most men. His clubs—a
set of Nicklaus MacGregors—were nothing special. Neither were the
balls he used, which he often fished out of a nearby pond. But his game
was titanic. He regularly out-drove adults, and posted scores much better
than theirs. By now, the family had relocated to Locust Grove, Virginia.
John often walked the course at Lake of the Woods Country Club in Fredericksburg.
He won the men’s championship there in 1978, which prompted club
members to forbid kids from entering the tournament ever again.

By this time, John
had been introduced to another pursuit that would become a pastime of
sorts: alcohol. He downed his first beer when he was eight, and next developed
a taste for his parents’ homemade wine. But his real predilection
was Jack Daniel’s. It was his father’s drink of choice, and
after the 14-year-old’s first sip of the Tennessee whiskey at his
sister’s wedding, it became his, too.

As a youngster, John
also played baseball and football. But golf came to overshadow both. First
he gave up baseball, then after a few years of high-school football, he
walked away from the gridiron, too.

John began to think
more seriously about a pro golf career as a teenager. After a short stint
in Zachary, Louisiana, the the Daly clan settled into a home in Jefferson
City, Missouri. In 1983, as a high-school junior in the Show Me State,
John showed he had a rare talent on the links. He captured the Missouri
High School Tournament and the Missouri Amateur.

The following fall
Jim and Lou decided to move north to New Hampshire. They told John he
could stay with Jamie back in Arkansas if he preferred. He jumped at the
opportunity. His life soon revolved around golf and drinking. Once a good
student, his grades dropped as afternoons were spent practicing and playing,
and every night seemed to be a party.

John’s hard-charging
lifestyle didn’t hamper his game, however. He won the 1984 Arkansas
Amateur, and the Missouri again, relying on his prodigious distance and
surprising touch around the greens. Steve Loy, the golf coach at the University
of Arkansas, was impressed enough to offer John a half-scholarship. He
accepted, and made his way to Fayetteville.

ON THE RISE

At Arkansas, John
majored in golf, with a minor in partying. On the course, Loy liked everything
about him, except for his weight. At 5-10, he carried more than 225 pounds.
Though John was one of the team’s best players, Loy often put him
through the paces. Sometimes, when John qualified for a road trip by out-playing
teammates, his coach would make him do something additional, like challenging
him to hit a drive in the fairway.

Jack Nicklaus book

John
grew to hate Loy. Rather than try to please him, he would purposefully
fail. In John’s junior year, Loy demanded that he adhere to a strict
diet. If he didn’t, his spot on the Arkansas team would be in jeopardy.

John agreed, then
found a unique way to shed pounds. He stopped eating as much he had been,
and started drinking even more hard alcohol. Always a fan of beer, John
realized that Diet Coke and Jack Daniel’s was the ultimate weight-loss
method. As he got closer to Loy’s target of 170 pounds, people began
telling him how good he looked. In turn, his self-esteem rose, and his
game improved. John became accustomed to playing good golf with a healthy
buzz on.

In the summer of 1987,
after his junior season in Fayetteville, John decided he was ready to
move on with his life. He quit school, won the Missouri Open and decided
to go pro.He also married Dale Crafton. A hand model and the daughter
of a prominent Arkansas family, she wanted to live in her hometown of
Blytheville. Against his better judgment, John said yes.

The marriage was a
disaster. John was unhappy in his new home, and the pressure of trying
to make a living playing golf was overwhelming at times. In February of
1990, after more than two years of fighting, the couple divorced.

By then, John had
gone overseas to cut his teeth on the South Africa tour. He acknowledged
his return to the singles scene by getting rip-roaring drunk, trashing
his hotel room (during which he fractured his right pinkie), then winning
a tournament. As was becoming a habit, he took part of his purse and headed
straight for the nearest casino. Like booze, gambling was another vice
that John couldn’t shake.

Two months later,
he met Bettye Fulford, a hotel convention planner from Georgia. The two
hit it off immediately. Bettye seemed to give John the direction and focus
he needed. Back in the U.S. as part of the Hogan Tour, he enjoyed his
best season to date on the links, capturing the 1990 Utah Classic and
finishing ninth on the money list.

The season was marred
by a nasty incident during an event in Maine. After a trademark drinking
binge, John lapsed into an alcohol-induced coma. He woke up in a hospital
bed unaware of where he was.

John Daly, 1991 Sports
Illustrated

John—who
had finished 14th at ’90 Q School—opened 1991 eager to make
his presence felt on the PGA Tour. Early in the year he qualified for
more than two dozen events but was a non-factor, missing the cut in half
the tournaments he played. His most notable moment came in March at the
Honda Classic when his drive on no. 15 nearly struck Greg Norman, who
was playing in the group ahead of him. Weeks later he embarrassed himself
at the Memorial with back-to-back 83s.

All the while, Bettye
stuck by John. Twice they had planned to wed, but the ceremony was postponed
every time John teed it up in a new tournament.

As the summer progressed,
John’s career appeared to have stalled. He was collecting enough
paychecks to feed his drinking habit and buy Bettye a Razorback-red BMW,
but stardom didn’t seem to be in the cards. Heading into the last
major of the season—the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club
in Carmel, Indiana—John was hoping for a good-enough finish to avoid
going back to Q School. As the tournament’s ninth (and last) alternate,
he was lucky to even be in the field.

Working in John’s
favor was Crooked Stick’s length. Architect Pete Dye had altered
the course to 7,289 yards, the second longest in PGA history. For a big
hitter like John, the layout was ideal. He could carry fairway bunkers
that few others could, and launch wedge approach shots when opponents
needed 7- and 8-irons.

Ian Woosnam and Kenny
Knox fired opening-round 67s to take the Day One lead. John was two back
after an eye-opening 69. He seized command on Friday with a 67 of his
own. Unknown to the large galleries, John became their larger-than-life
underdog. He went after every green, including the one on the 609-yard,
par-5 fifth.

On Saturday, John
went low again, posting another 69. Against all odds, he entered Sunday
with the tournament his to win. Bucking convention, John attacked Crooked
Stick in the final round like he had all week long. Shooting a solid 71,
he cruised home with a 3-stroke victory over Bruce Lietzke. In terms of
golf history, his improbable win recalled memories of Jack Fleck beating
Ben Hogan in a playoff for 1955 U.S. Open title. The legend of “Long
John Daly” was born.

The attention heaped
on John was startling. His winner’s check of $230,000 was more money
than he had ever seen. Endorsement deals poured in. (Within a year, they
totalled more than $10 million.) Everyone wanted a piece of him. Voted
PGA Rookie of the Year, John was invited to play in the Skins Game with
Payne Stewart, Curtis Strange and Nicklaus, where he more than held his
own with a $160,000 payday.

Greg Norman, 1986 Fax Pax

The
strain of being a sudden superstar was really beginning to wear on John.
Making things more difficult was the revelation that Bettye was nearly
10 years older than she claimed, that she had previously been married
and that she had a 13-year-old son. John ended their relationship, at
which point she announced she was pregnant with his child.

A short time later,
John started seeing a 20-year-old model named Paulette Dean. Bettye, meanwhile,
filed palimony and paternity suits against him. In May, after reconciling,
they married. A month after that, Bettye gave birth to Shynah Hale.

Fatherhood did not
settle John down. He continued drinking heavily, and pushing himself recklessly.
His golf suffered as a result. Besides ties for 8th in the Nissan Open
and second in the Kemper Open, he was having a lousy year. From June to
mid-September, he missed the cut in five of nine events he entered. John,
however, ended the streak with an impressive victory at the B.C. Open.
He concluded the 1992 season with winnings of $387,455.

John’s alcohol
problems reached a crescendo in December of 1992. During a Christmas party
at their new five-bedroom home in Castle Pines, he and Bettye got into
a nasty fight. According to reports, after becoming sloppy drunk, John
pushed over a big-screen TV, punched a few holes into the wall, then shoved
his wife into a wall while pulling her hair. Hoping to clear his head,
he drove back home to Dardanelle. John later admitted that he considered
suicide during that trip. When he returned to Castle Pines four days later,
the story hit the newspapers, and John was arrested for third-degree assault.

Under pressure from
the PGA—specifically commissioner Deane Beman—John entered
Sierra Tucson, an addiction treatment facility in Arizona. The tour also
suspended him. He spent 30 days in rehab, but his heart and head were
never really into it. Thought John said all the right things publicly,
deep down he seemed reluctant to acknowledge he had any sort of problem.

John was allowed to
resume playing in January of 1993. His game was uneven. But a wonderful
performance at The Masters temporarily bouyed him. In his best finish
ever at Augusta, he tied for third after firing a 69 on Sunday. From there,
John’s game—and his personal life—went into the toilet.
Though he registed a handful of decent showings, he was spiralling out
of control.

John pleaded guilty
to misdemeanor harassment in the Colorado case in late May, and was sentenced
to two years' probation and ordered to complete a domestic-violence program.
In July, he filed for divorce from Bettye, then began seeing Paulette
again. Four months later, he flaked out at the Kapalua International in
Hawaii. After picking up on the 11th green without holing out, he teed
off on 12, which earned him an automatic disqualification.

Beman responded swiftly
with another suspension—this time with no timeline set for John’s
return.

Apparently John finally
took his situation seriously. He came back to the tour in March, and his
fourth-place tie at the Honda Classic suggested he was ready to reassert
himself on the course. Six weeks later he won the BellSouth Classic, shooting
a 64 on Friday, then holding off Nolan Henke and Brian Henninger.

John Daly, 1992 Pro Set
Rookie of the Year

But
John couldn’t keep it together. He missed the cut in the U.S. Open
and PGA Championship, and was disqualified from the Greater Hartford Open.
His biggest paycheck from May to August was $13,150 in the NEC World Series
of Golf. In that event he wrestled in the parking lot with a 62-year-old
fan who accused him of having deliberately driven his tee shot into the
group playing ahead of him during that day’s round.

With Beman preparing
to suspend him again, John voluntarily left the tour for the rest of the
season. The move was too late as far as Reebok and Wilson Golf were concerned.
Both dropped their endorsement deals with John, costing him $3.4 million
annually.

MAKING HIS
MARK

The 1995 season opened
with more turmoil away from the links. In January, John's divorce from
Bettye was finalized. A short time later, he married Paulette, who revealed
she was pregnant. (Sierra Lynn was born on June 1.)

John, meanwhile, continued
to struggle on the course. His behavior, however, was much less erratic.
Clean and sober—and proud of it—he seemed happier and healthier.
In July, when he flew to Scotland for the British Open at St. Andrews,
John had no grand illusions. But the weather and the course cooperated,
and he found himself leading the championship after 36 holes. Though John
dropped to fourth with a 73 in the third round, he came out firing on
Sunday. Defying conventional wisdom by powering his driver on one tee
box after another, he posted a 71, then watched from the clubhouse with
a one-stroke lead. When Costantino Rocca chili-dipped his chip on 18,
it looked the tournament was John’s. But the Italian then sunk a
70-foot putt to force a four-hole playoff.

Undaunted, John cruised
to a four-shot victory. In turn, he became only the fourth American since
World War II to win two majors before his 30th birthday. The others in
that exclusive club were Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller. His friends
on tour were relieved to see John celebrate with a tub of ice cream.

While the British
Open was John’s only significant finish of ‘95, he ended the
year optimistic about his future. That being said, he did little on the
tour over the next two years. In 1996 he registered just three Top 10
finishes, as his earnings fell to $173,557. The biggest headline he generated
was the firing of his caddie, Greg Rita, who went behind his back and
inquired about carrying Tiger Woods’s bag.

The following season
was even worse. After shooting 23-under at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
in January, John struggled to maintain any consistency. Not surprisingly,
alcohol played a major role in his problems. In March, John imploded in
Jacksonville, Florida. After drinking for 14 hours straight, John lost
control of himself. Six security guards were summoned to his hotel and
labored to subdue him. John then complained of chest pains, and was taken
to the hospital. At The Players’ Championship, he went on another
binge, and withdrew from the event after a 76 in the first round.

John tried to make
amends by checking into the Betty Ford Clinic in California. But Paulette
had had enough, and filed for divorce.

Still, there were
plenty of people in John’s camp. In May of 1997, Callaway signed
him to a $4-million deal, with an important rider. John was prohibited
from drinking and gambling. At the time, he was almost $2-million in the
hole with a variety of casinos. Callaway agreed to bail him out provided
he kept his nose clean. That was easier said than done.

John did open 1998
looking more like his old self on the course. Back-to-back fourth-place
ties in March—in the Nissan Open and Honda Classic—suggested
he was back on the beam. But a week later he pulled a “Tin Cup”
at the Bay Hill Invitational, carding an 18 on a hole after dunking six
shots into the water on a par-5. John finished the tourney at +10.

Thanks to a couple
of good paydays late in the season, John pushed his earnings to nearly
$400,000 in ’98. With his expenses mounting—his child-support
and alimony payments were more than $30,000 a month—he needed it.

All the while, the
turmoil in John’s personal life continued. He and Paulette got back
together, then split up again. In October, he embraced a new soul mate
in Shanae Chandler, who was also in recovery. A journalism student at
the University of Texas, Shanae dropped out of school to live with John.

John Daly, 1992 Pro Set

He
appreciated the company—particularly after a scary incident at the
Greater Vancouver Open. Playing in a threesome with David Frost and Corey
Pavin, John began shaking uncontrollably. He also started sweating profusely,
and even broke down in tears. Caught by a television cameraman walking
the course, the scene troubled everyone who saw it. Frost and Pavin helped
John complete the round, but he missed the cut. Some observers claimed
the episode was evidence that John was a manic-depressive. (John has since
said the problem was caused by a medication prescribed to him.)

By weathering that
storm, John gained new support from players and fans. Though his results
in 1999 were weak, he enjoyed a different sort of celebrity. People everywhere
praised him for his tenacity and courage. He still had his vices, but
cigarettes and m&m’s were a far cry from booze and broads.

That goodwill soon
evaporated. In June of '99, John threw away 26 months of sobriety by downing
a 12-pack of beer. That same month he blasted USGA officials for the speed
of the lightning-fast greens during the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North
Carolina. Two months later he and Shanae got engaged, then his divorce
from Paulette became official. When executives at Callaway learned John
was back to his old habits, they demanded he seek treatment from their
rehab specialist. John refused and the company severed its ties with him.

The 2000 season was
perhaps his worst on tour. During one stretch, John failed to make the
cut in 10 of 12 events. His finals earnings barely climbed over $100,000.
For the first time in eight tries, he didn’t advance to the weekend
at the Masters. Off the course, John and Shanae bickered often, including
a public display at a McDonald’s in Alabama. Police were eventually
called when he began tossing her clothes from their van into the parking
lot.

Against all odds,
John rebounded in 2001. For the year, he won a career-high $828,914, and
moved into the Top 50 in the world rankings. The first indication that
John was primed for a revival was the 66 he shot in the final round of
January’s Phoenix Open. That enabled him to record his best finish
since March of 1998. Weeks later, at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, John
put himself in contention for the title with a 63 on Saturday. He hadn’t
gone that low in 10 years.

At the same time,
John was trying to sort out his personal life. He met Sherrie Miller,
a 25-year-old car saleswoman from Memphis who had a one-year-old son,
Austin. Smitten immediately, he broke it off with Shanae. John and Sherrie
were married in July.

David Frost, 1992 Pro Set

A
few months later, John collected his largest check of the year after finishing
fourth in the Bell Canadian Open. At the Invensys Classic in Las Vegas,
he set the course record at the TPC at The Canyons with a 62. John capped
his comeback campaign with his first victory since the 1995 British Open,
a win at the European Tour's BMW International Open.

Heading in 2002, John’s
main goal was qualifying for the field at Augusta. With a pair of top-10
finishes in his first three events of the year, he all but guaranteed
his return to the Masters. There, John carded four rounds in the 70’s
and tied for 32nd. Though he didn’t do much the rest of the season,
he managed to take his record 11th driving distance crown at 306.8 yards,
surpassing Calvin Peete, who won 10 titles during his PGA career.

John started slowly
in 2003, but a tie for seventh at the Shell Houston Open earned him nearly
$150,000 and relieved some of the pressure. He also picked up two minor
victories, capturing the Korean Open at Woo Jung Hills Country Club and
the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational (for his first win on American
soil in nine years).

Life looked even brighter
when Sherrie gave birth to John Patrick Daly II in July. But things quickly
turned ugly. Five days later Sherrie and her parents-—Alvis and
Billie Miller—were indicted in Mississippi for their alleged involvement
in a million-dollar drug ring and an illegal gambling operation. Though
John was not implicated, the news hit hard. In his last seven events of
the year, he either withdrew, missed the cut or was disqualified. In addition,
Mike Peterson quit as his caddie, stating that he wanted nothing to do
with Sherrie. John’s childhood friend and personal assistant, Donnie
Crabtree, soon followed suit.

The rocky end to John’s
2003 season has made his hot start in 2004 all the more remarkable. His
victory in the Buick Invitational in a playoff over Chris Perry and Luke
Donald was a classic. On the par-5 18th, he reached the back greenside
bunker in two, then cozied up a wonderful sand shot within inches of the
cup. When Perry and Donald missed their birdie putts, John tapped in for
the win. The cheers that greeted him gave the tournament the feel of a
major.

Although everyone
in golf is rooting for him again, John still has a long way to go. Few
will be shocked if he find himself in rehab—or even jail—again.
And some fear that one of these days he could wind up on a slab. But it
will also come as no surprise if he captures another major.

John Daly, 2001 SP Authentic

John
is a man of extremes...on the course and off it.

JOHN
THE PLAYER

Everyone
knows how far John can hit a golf ball. That’s been his M.O. since
his victory at the 1991 PGA. His power is the result of exquisite timing
and balance—and an incredibly long swing. Even pros marvel at the
consistency with which John strikes the ball.

John is a notoriously
fast player. According to a study in Golf magazine, he averages
21.1 seconds over putts, 15.6 seconds over irons, and 18.7 seconds over
drives. No one spends less time thinking about his next shot.

John’s short
game may be his strong point. His touch on chips and flop shots is amazingly
adept. His putting stroke is excellent.

John’s problems
start and end between his ears. When he’s focused and in control,
he can play with anyone. But there’s no telling when he will explode
or implode. John has plenty of good people in his corner—the question
is whether he will continue to listen to them.

John Daly, 1995 Sports Iluustrated

John
Daly

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